A tragic incident occurred near the Italian island of Lampedusa, where at least 20 people, including three children, went missing after their boat capsized. The migrants had departed from Zuwara, Libya, but their journey turned disastrous in the early hours of Tuesday.
Rescuers saved seven people, including two Syrian men and an eight-year-old boy from Syria. The boy was hoping to reunite with his father in Germany, but his mother remains missing. The other survivors included two Sudanese and two Egyptians. According to the survivors, five women and three children are among those still unaccounted for.
“It’s heartbreaking to know they were so close to shore but couldn’t make it,” said Lampedusa’s mayor, Filippo Mannino.
The central Mediterranean remains one of the deadliest migration routes in the world. Since 2014, almost 24,500 people have died or disappeared attempting the journey, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
In 2024, migrant arrivals in Italy dropped to 66,320 compared to 157,651 in 2023 and 105,131 in 2022. The Italian government has focused on reducing migrant departures from Libya and Tunisia to save lives at sea.
Meanwhile, the number of people crossing the English Channel into the UK increased by 25% in 2024, with 36,816 arrivals compared to 29,437 in 2023. However, this figure is lower than the record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.
The crossings highlighted political challenges in the UK. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak failed to meet his pledge to “stop the boats,” and Labour’s general election victory meant policies like sending migrants to Rwanda stalled. The Supreme Court ruled the Rwanda plan unlawful, leaving the policy in limbo despite further legislative efforts.
Between July 5 and December 31, following Labour’s win, 23,242 migrants arrived in the UK—a 29% increase from the same period in 2023 but 29% lower than in 2022.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasized the need to target smuggling gangs but refrained from setting a timeline for reducing Channel crossings. The year 2024 was labeled the deadliest for Channel crossings, with 53 lives lost attempting to navigate the world’s busiest shipping lane to the UK.
